


A Process of Creation

by Leonawriter



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Even is a An Entire Scientist of Dad Mode, Family, Gen, Nobodies (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, he can't escape it even as Vexen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-17 23:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15472833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonawriter/pseuds/Leonawriter
Summary: Vexen had been there from the start of the project that had created their newest Number XIV. Even is there when Xion comes back. AKA, Vexen's heart does what it pleases, even if Vexen doesn't realise he's got one in order for it to be doing anything at all.





	A Process of Creation

The first time Vexen saw the Replica, it simply hung there, suspended in in the things that would make it take on what would essentially be a life of its own - or at least, as much of one that a Replica could ever have. Much the same as the way in which a Nobody could not exist in the same way that a person with a heart could.

He oversaw its development, from the first scientific research notes to the moment it stepped out - right up until it was given her coat, and Xemnas took it to to be readied to be introduced as the new, ‘Fourteenth’, member.

The Replica was supposed to be a copy of Sora, or at least based on his memories. Therefore, supposed that it did somewhat stand to reason that its appearance would shift depending on the way that they expected the Replica to be perceived.

All in all, a thoroughly fascinating experiment. One that had him leaning forward in his seat in the Round Room when ‘Xion’ was introduced to the rest of the Organisation.

He watches the Replica, over the coming few days. The beginning of Xion’s stay in the Organisation, watching as the puppet appears to begin to have a sense of self, just as Roxas had when he had first appeared without memories, and had been - well, Axel’s terminology of ‘zombie’ wasn’t _that_  far off, even in scientific terms. After all, without memories, what was even keeping the newest Nobody together? Vexen couldn’t say.

The first anomaly was in how Roxas - one of the ones from whom Xion was meant to siphon off memories in order to become more powerful, and replace if necessary - begins to refer to the puppet as _she_. 

At first, Vexen had thought that it was a mere slip of the tongue - after all, the puppet merely looked just like that - a puppet, given name not by means of a human self that it had come from, but by the experiment she was a creation of.

But then, why not? It was, after all, meant to reflect her originator’s memories; perhaps those memories were strongly based on a particular female friend. That, he decided, explained matters - and if this was the case, and if Xion saw itself as a ‘she’ rather than a ‘he’ or an ‘it’ because of this, then there was surely no harm in humouring ‘her’, if for no other reason than that even if he could not see what Roxas seemed to be able to, doing so would enable him to approach and talk without ‘her’ coming to the conclusion of what she was, and was created for, at an inopportune moment. And...

Well, it wasn't as though the fact that ‘she’ was actually an ‘it’ was _common_  knowledge in the Organisation. 

The last he saw of ‘her’, Xion - hood covering where the face should be, as always - was staring off out of the windows of the Grey Room, in what he could only assume was the direction of Kingdom Hearts.

If he had a heart, Vexen thought that perhaps he might pity the poor thing. After all, Number Fourteen had been created to not know its purpose, and if she thought that she were a real Nobody, she might think that she had a heart to regain, which as a Replica would clearly never happen.

...

It’s during his foray in Castle Oblivion that Vexen observes another Replica, sees a puppet become a boy who appears to gain far more determination than he had deemed realistically possible, even with his defeats. 

Sees Sora, the one that Roxas comes from, and Xion is meant to be siphoning from, and has to wonder-

If perhaps the Riku Replica wasn't the only one capable of stepping somewhat out of bounds of the reason they were created.

...

It takes a long time to be accomplished, and Ienzo is the only other who has the same amount of _scientific_  input into the project, as opposed to Sora’s stubborn determination to - ah, what were his words? ‘Get this right and fix things’, or something like that.

And then there she was, walking out of the datascape and retaining form, all short black hair and feminine form and still wearing the Organisation coat that he’d first seen her in when she’d been fully formed.

He supposed it was strange, that he never remembered seeing her hood down until now, just in the same sense that he found it strange that for a while now he had barely remembered anything other than that there had _been_  a Replica program, and that they _had_  planned on doing something other than just the Riku Replica, but for the life of him he hadn’t been able to recall anything else, or even known that he should.

In all that time, he had though that they must have left the project be, on the wayside, while everything else had happened.

How wrong he had been.

Xion smiles - at Sora, at Roxas, at Lea - and then she turns to the others present, and when she sees him, she tilts her head somewhat, a motion that lends far more to expression when he can also see the face there, the frown, the slight biting of the lip.

_You created this,_  some deep part of him was saying, _Replica or no, this is an entirely new life, one that wouldn't have existed without you to create... her._

_“_ I,” he said, “am Even. I suppose you would have known me better as Vexen-”

He’s caught off guard when she _smiles_  at him, because surely she should know exactly what Vexen had done, what he had _intended_  her for - everything Roxas and Lea and even Riku had said corroborated the fact, that she had to _know._

_“Oh!”_ Instead, he face remains brightly lit, her hands coming up to meet each other in front of her chest - _another anomaly, a puppet with a heart, who exists as much as any Nobody ever existed, inasmuch that we all had hearts, to some extent - “_ You’re the one! I thought you seemed familiar, but it’s been so long... I read your reports, by the way,” she adds, more hesitantly. “You... called me ‘she’, and ‘Xion’, even though you knew what I was more than anyone else.” 

He stared, for a long moment, not liking how awkward the atmosphere had become.

“Well, yes - I suppose so. It simply would have made things more difficult if I had not. I-”

“Thank you!”

Even is taken aback, rendered speechless by two words, and the clear presence of tears in Xion’s eyes.

“I... I know you didn’t do it for good reasons, but... I can't help feeling thankful to you for your part in making sure I existed, because if you hadn’t, I never would've met so many amazing people, or experienced so many things. So... thank you.”

“From what I hear,” he said, voice thick and heart making him feel things that he wasn't sure that he was ready for yet even _now_ , because Vexen may have felt emotions but never, ever this deeply, “you turned out a far better person than most in the Organisation. I think I will take at least some pride in that.”

He wondered if it was the right thing to say the moment it had left his mouth, that reminder that he had _created_  her, that he could feel _pride_  in that act, and yet-

Yet... Sora was smiling, and even neither Roxas nor Lea seemed unhappy. 

_Perhaps I didn't fail every last part of you,_  comes a stray thought, one that he frowns at and puts carefully away into the place where he knows that he will examine it later, when it is safe, when he can risk his heart hurting when he isn't around these others who he cannot afford to have see him like that.


End file.
